Written by michael payne   

Here’s a message from your government: Congratulations to you the people of America for your acquiescence, passiveness, and continued silence; your submissive behavior has been exemplary, it shows that the true spirit of America is still alive and well. And, in closing, remember this; watch what you say and what you do for we are listening.

That’s not just a cynical observation. What that message really means is that the mind conditioning, or information control, an agenda that has been being pursued by this government and the complicit, subservient national media, has been successful beyond all expectations. The last time that the people of America rose up to vent their anger and frustration against what their government was doing happened during the latter years of the Vietnam War when their massive protests and demonstrations were a major factor in ending it.

In examining this matter to try to determine how this could ever have happened in this nation and society the first thing we must point out is that it the primary vehicle for delivering these mind conditioning techniques is, unquestionably, the television industry and, to a lesser but still significant degree, newspapers and the radio. Without their involvement there would be no such thing in America.

Remember how this media cleverly twisted the facts to support the Bush administration’s lies about the Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq and planted them into the mind of the American people? How this media then acted as cheerleaders in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that saw many thousands of our troops and innocent civilians die for no justifiable reason? And how they continued to vigorously support those wars when it became very evident that they both were colossal military mistakes?

Talk about mental conditioning, how about the non-stop extremely pervasive political commercials that flood the airwaves during elections when hundreds of millions of Corporate American’s dollars are spent to promote specific candidates who have sworn allegiance to the corporate agenda. Has there been any power in the history of this nation that has had such a massive impact on our electoral process; one that relentlessly hammers these biased political messages into the American mind?

There are many things happening in America today that should be setting off alarm bells all over this country and awakening the people to the dangers that currently threaten our democracy and our way of life. But the people remain silent.

Since 9/11 a constant message of fear has been planted in our minds, a message that we should be afraid, very afraid of terror. This very successful government tactic has become a part of our society and culture, and the more we feel that fear, the more justification this government has for its agenda of endless war. The powers that run the Military-Industrial Complex thrive on this fear since it paves the way for funding the machinery of war and the continued expansion of the worldwide military empire.

The people see a government that is dysfunctional, totally incompetent and thoroughly corrupted. But while that troubles many Americans the large majority of them say nothing and just look the other way. They see the deceitful financial manipulators on Wall Street devise one scheme after another to increase profits through exorbitant service charges. But they do nothing and just continue to be fleeced by these robber barons. They watch as Corporate America destroys the nation’s manufacturing plants along with good paying jobs, and then creates lower level jobs for the minimum wage; and what do the people do? They meekly absorb the body blows without a whimper.

We have been urged in many different ways to love our country and we most certainly should because it is a wondrous country to behold. But we have been conditioned by this government and the mainstream media to believe that love for our country and our government are one in the same; they are not. When I hear the patriotic “America the Beautiful” I think of this beautiful country, not the polluted and corrupted government that is headquartered in Washington D.C.

Just as there must be a separation between government and religion there must also be a distinct separation between love for our country, which should be a given, and respect for our government but only when it has earned it. We, who live in this country need to follow its laws, support it with our taxes and defend our country when that is an absolute necessity. But the people must not blindly follow the dictates of their government when it becomes evident that what it is doing is against the best interests of the people.

Using 9/11 as a means to an end our government continues to warn us about the terrorist threat and relentlessly hammers this theme into the American mind. This form of mental conditioning has radically changed this society and instilled fear and paranoia across the nation. It’s not only fear of terrorists but fear of fellow Americans that is turning this nation into a “gun society” in which the need to protect 2d Amendment rights has become paramount and gun ownership an obsession. Illinois is about to become the 50th and last state to pass legislation covering “concealed carry” of weapons. This is not how a civilized society and people should act.

What is the profile of a typical American who has been and still is being victimized by this process of mental conditioning? Here are the signs and symptoms indicating that a person very likely has that condition:

It’s a person who quite likely has willingly accepted, condoned and supported the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the intrusion into Libya, and President Obama’s highly aggressive use of drones in the nations of Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia; it’s those individuals who feel totally comfortable with contributing tax dollars to the continued expansion of the U.S. military empire and who support using taxpayer dollars to fund the massive defense industry that fuels this agenda of perpetual war.

Further indications: it’s a person who lacks the ability to strongly protest against the destruction of Constitutional rights and freedoms of the American people as carried out by the Bush and Obama administrations; one who shows a lack of outrage and, in fact, apathy over the NSA spying program that monitors the communications and invades the privacy of all Americans as well as people around the world, including those of our supposed allies.

Then there are those who totally agree with the justifications put forth by the NRA, the gun manufacturers and their lobbyists to convince Americans that the protection of the rights to gun ownership is far more important than protecting the lives of this nation’s children. And those who have been conditioned to also believe that concealed carry laws are a good thing for this country.

And finally: those who believe almost everything they hear coming from the Sunday “Talking Heads” who have thoroughly infiltrated and contaminated the major networks and have only one objective in mind; to get you and I to buy into what they are selling – their own political parties and associated ideologies. Here is where the art of mental conditioning is practiced at a very high level and has proven to be extremely successful.

So, if an individual has been caught up in this conditioning process, how can that person escape its massive control and, once again, begin to think independently? Here are some ways:

*We must think for ourselves and not allow anyone to plant their ideology into our minds nor slant our views. We must use our own intellect to determine what is right for this country and society and learn how to shield our minds from the endless stream of poisonous political crap that invades our daily lives.

*Use the internet for obtaining news and information by searching out the many respected and objective analysts and investigative reporters who are not controlled by the masters of Corporatism; those who use facts instead of opinion, are still honest and ethical, and will not lower themselves to shill for this government or corporations.

In using the internet as a primary source of factual, objective news reporting we must be very careful. The danger is that, if it comes under the control of the consortium of the government, Corporate America and the mainstream media, it could become a new, very powerful element of the mental conditioning process. There are many websites where you can view the truth being delivered by honest, dedicated journalists but you must be careful for the agents of mind control are lurking in certain areas, just waiting for you to enter their websites.

*Refuse to become a victim of the twisted messages and ideology of any political party that is trumpeted over the airwaves and funded by the mega-millions of dollars by which Corporate America intends to control our government and national agenda. Refuse to listen to their clever, twisted political commercials.

Silence may sometimes be a virtue in certain, specific situations but when the government is running roughshod over our Constitution, restricting our rights and freedoms and violating our privacy then the time for silence is over. To remain silent and passive given the conditions in which the American people currently find themselves is a disaster in the making, a recipe for self-destruction.

Michael Payne